The Best Electrical Estimating Software

What is Electrical Estimating Software?

Electrical estimating software helps electricians, electrical engineers, and contractors plan out expenses related to upcoming and current projects. Sometimes labeled as electrical estimating takeoff software, these products form a specific subset of construction estimating software that focuses only on streamlining electrical work projects, from new construction to remodels to basic maintenance.

To start, the automated estimates calculate things such as labor, materials, and equipment costs, as accurately as possible for submitting a bid price for a new project or informing a client of expected charges. Software allows for customization to personalize different bids and quotes before submission. Other tools for electrical estimators include basic project management modules, construction takeoff, and maintaining customer relationships.

Electrical Estimating Software Features

• Quote and bid management: Calculate costs for projects while managing customer relationships and streamlining the request for proposal (RFP) process before making formal bids
• Labor cost tracking: Measure potential employee hours and any job-specific rate management for upcoming projects
• Material and equipment cost database: Calculate real-time material and equipment costs based on known base rates for purchase or rental along with quantity requirements
• Historical data: Input rates from previously performed work and construction takeoffs into new bids to better calculate potential costs for all situations, such as customer change orders
• Document management: Retain past quotes in a digital storage and retrieval system for future access when making new job estimates
• Estimate-quote conversion: Use the data obtained from internal job cost estimates to generate customer-facing quote or proposal documentation
• Project management: Once a bid is accepted, arrange all details for a project moving forward, such as necessary laborers, any required materials, and so on
• Scheduling: Arrange a schedule of labor and material delivery (if necessary) in advance
• Customer management: Maintain customer contact information, past project details, bid history, and other relevant information for better customer support
• Billing and invoicing: Use estimates and quotes to accurately bill clients for services, then send professional invoices

Best Electrical Estimating Software Benefits

Electrical estimating software provides many benefits to electricians and engineers, allowing your company to:

Save Time

Automated estimating software helps to reduce time spent on calculating and preparing quotes or bids. Previously, electricians would have to measure conduits, wires, and other dimensions manually in order to estimate what materials were needed. Then they had to determine how many labor units were necessary and what, if any, equipment had to be used. Through electrical estimating software, blueprints and schematics can be used to gain this information in an instant.

Increase your bid win rates by preparing and sending out quotes to customers with more efficiency. Electrical contractors who use software can double or triple their quote output, increasing the chances of a successful bid. And with less time spent making bids, your electricians can spend more time actually working in the field on construction projects, remodels, or repairs.

Increase Accuracy

Even small electrical projects can go over-budget due to unforeseen circumstances. An electrical estimating software provides an improved ability to ensure project profitability by producing more reliable estimates using automated calculations from construction takeoffs and historical data. No more plugging data into an Excel spreadsheet and making manual calculations when you use an automated estimating system.

Construction takeoff tools use blueprints and schematics to ease the estimation process by showing the exact dimensions related to a project. For example, you can better estimate how much electrical wiring will be necessary for a new home construction if you know the length of walls, ceilings, and so on. You'll also learn whether outlets are needed for low voltage or high voltage output, if any HVAC work is necessary, and other important details for the quote process.

Historical data related to past successful bids and jobs is useful for attaining greater accuracy. The more accurate your price quotes, the higher your chances of winning bids. These accurate estimates lead to accurate quotes for your customers. Knowing what they're expecting to spend on a project can help ensure they actually have the means to pay when it's time for invoicing.

Be Selective and Competitive

It's no secret that the best bid often wins the contract. For most customers and clients, that means whichever quote is lowest is the automatic winner while others prefer short turnaround times. Electrical estimating software reveals lowered job costs through identification of cost control strategies like alternative material sourcing or subcontracting certain labor units. By utilizing software to build better bids, you can identify which jobs are worth the costs.

For example, you might realize a particular job will have higher labor costs than anticipated while preparing the estimates, allowing you to back out of the bidding process early and avoid expensive complications later. In other cases, material prices might have increased due to shortages. Using software to track material pricing in real-time gives your electrical bid manager the chance to offer clients more affordable substitutions during the bid process, providing better customer support from the start and potentially increasing profit margins.

Electrical Estimating Software Pricing

Electrical estimating software pricing depends on the scope of your business. Small, independent contractors won't need full-service software a large construction firm would want. Another factor in the pricing will be whether you want an on-premise or Cloud-hosted solution. For instance, an on-prem product might have a one-time perpetual license fee while a Cloud-based option would be a monthly SaaS. The right solution for your company will depend on your budget and business model. For example, if you often perform quotes on the go while meeting with customers on-site, a user-friendly SaaS with on-screen takeoff tools would be best for your needs.

SaaS options range from $19 per month up to $139 per month per user. One-time perpetual license fees range from $990 to $1,445. Customizable hybrid systems are available, combining the best of both into one easily accessible yet secure platform.